NESQLUG News

.„ oa o9 om Ow ow

Oe ee Ow he Oe Aw Oe Os Oe ew ths Saw aw ye ag ae Sas Oi Sey a as et aw a Ss Ss Ss Dar ne Sg we ap ar

EDITOR'S NOTES

A major event occurred at the last
meeting at Al Boehm's house. Wil

Horton will take over as editor
commencing with the next news-
letter.

Wil has many plans for the

newsletter, including a new format.
The dire warnings last time are now
inoperative!

It was hoped that a sampling of the
new format would be included in
this issue, but Judy had a baby
daughter and Will is a bit busy.

Will, that excuse is good only once a
year!

So if you have not renewed already,
this is your last issue. Renew or
miss out on a fresh new approach
to the NESQLUG NEWS.

Elsewhere in this issue is big news
about Miracle’s new QLX card and
its North American debut in June at
Newpor', RI. Details follow.

Many thanks to contributors Sherm
Waterman, Eric Norton and Hugh
Howie.

RENEWAL TIME

This is the last issue of volume III.
Membership dues (for the family)

ee ee ee es we
ae ae ee ee ew Be ie ae hae ae Fae ng ae an ae Sat Fe es ip ge Me Ms Da as eg Pas Das ap Sw Sr a Paw ae ae Snap Sag Fas Fr Ge an ng as Grae Dar Rt See Gr ay Saw Dar as Pe Ss ap as Ss at ae aw ap ar

NESQLUG NEWS
The Journal of Record of
New England Sinclair QL User Group
Vol III, No 6
"A Beacon to Guide the Wandering Sojourner Home from the Abyss of Confusion”

ao as Ae Da RO Bs as ae as ae Oa Sw Da Da Dar Da Pas Da at Da A Oa ap ag) ag aw Sg as Sw Gas at ep ag Sa Ap ea

e. Om 3 oa oa oe

NOTEINOTE!INOTE!

The May meeting is the traditional
time for electing new board
members. Can you help?

The NESQLUG NEWS is the Journal
of the New England Sinclair QL User
Group. It is published bi-monthly.

Annual membership is $10.00 (stu-
dents $5.00) in North America. The
rest of the world - $15.00 air mail.

We meet monthly on the first Sat-
urday of odd-numbered months and
the first Sunday of even numbered
months. If that's a holiday weekend,
we meet the following weekend.

NEXT MEETING

NESQLUG meets from 11:00 pm to
4:00 pm, Saturday, May 1, at the
home of Al and Dorothy Boehm, 33
Selfridge Rd., Bedford MA 01730
Phone (617) 275-1097 for directions.

There has not been scheduled a
Special Interest meeting for June.
However, since the QLX card is
being introduced on June 5, at
Newport, that qualifies as ‘of Special
Interest!’

Our exchange policy is simple: we-
send-you-ours-if-you-send-us-yours

are ten ($10.00) in North America, (WSYOIYSUY) and you have
fifteen ($15.00) in the rest of the something to say about the QL.
world. Send it to Sherm Waterman

at the address below.

DIRECTORY phone
Director Ernest Wider, Box 171, Dover MA 02030 (508) 785-1880
Treasurer (508) 362-5322

Membership Sec'try
Disk Librarian
Program Director
Editor

Newsletter Liason Mike Jonas, 15 fe

Sherm Waterman, 40 Eileen St, Yarmouth Port MA 02675

Hike Jonas, 15 Fenno St. #1, Cambridge MA 02138
Willard Horton, 234 Mauran Ave, East Providence RI 02914 (°°
Willard Horton, 234 *- --~ Ave, East Providence R! °°"

. Cambridge M n% `

(617) 876-7251

gmt. A-

_—
NEW ENGLAND
SINCLAIR QL
USERS GROUP
Z P.O. Box 8763
Boston, MA 02114

To: TIMES NEWS CATUG NITE- 80
% Bob Swoger, Editor
613 Parkside Cir.
Streamwood, IL 60107

bette UassereEMbocbrlitledl Ulecfesisaflflevolaflecloellefbesll

-4Iwne 1993
LISI N -sle

CONTENTS
Editor's Notes
Next Meeting
QLX Arrives
What Is Happening
Meeting Minutes
Prairie Digital
Svenska QL Gruppen
Letter from Hugh
Miracle in Newport '93

CONDO RWHP

QLxX ARRIVES
by Peter Hale

The recent announcement of
Miracle Systems QLX card for the
IBM has caused a great flurry of
interest both here and in Europe.

Stuart Honeyball of Miracles is
expected to be at Newport, RI, on
June 5 to demonstrate it to a
projected audience of 150 people.

We may have to wait for
confirmation at that time, but this is
what the QLX appears to be.

First, the technical:

1. A Motorola 68040 25 mHz
processor.

2. A legal rewrite of the QDOS oper-
ating system that does not infringe
of Amstrad's copyright.

3. A choice of 1, 2, 4, or 8 Meg of
onboard memory, with slots for
upgrading in 1 Meg units to a full 8
Meg.

4. It plugs into either an XT (8
bit) or AT (16 bit) slot of an MS-
DOS computer, utilizing all of that
computer's devices (monitor, drives,
keypord, serial and parallel ports,
etc.

That said there is a lot of
confusion as to the mechanics of the
QLZ card viz a viz the MS-DOS
computer.

An MS-DOS computer comes with a
motherboard - the basic computer
and expansion slots, usually at least
4, often 6. In the world of MS-DOS
these slots are utilized for such
add-ons as mouse ports, fax boards,
modems, memory, etc. They are
generally called XT or AT slots,

wrth poe wags

a a te ee ae ee ee ea E E ON T ha Ne ee oem nies ae i ES oy a e ee a ae

depending on whether they have 8
bit or 16 bit busses to the
motherboard.

QL's have only two slots, but that
is partly because video out and
serial ports are built in.

One slot is the Eprom slot at the
rear used for such firmware as TK2,
ICE, etc. The other is the biggy on
the left where the memory expansion
and drive interface is inserted.

Essentially, the QLX card is a
board that gives the IBM devices
(monitor, drives, keyboard, etc.)
access to a whole other computer -

the QL.

It appears that the performance
of the QLX card is totally
independent -of the MS-DOS
computer into which it is installed.
The only caveat that we know of is
that the monitor must be at least
VGA color.

The board has its own memory.
It does not need or use any of the
MS-DOS memory. Theoretically, one
could multi-task MS-DOS and QDOS
and also multi-task within QDOS. In
QL mode, all familiar QDOS functions
are presumably available ~- multi-
tasking, SuperBASIC, etc.

The use of the drives is fairly
simple. QL's use MS-DOS compatible
floppy drives anyway. An MS-DOS
disk in the drive makes it an MS-
DOS drive; a QL disk makes it a
QL drive. The hard disk merely
needs to be partitioned to have part
in MS-DOS and part in QDOS.

One way of looking at the QLX is
that you get a piece of hardware
(the board) that lets virtually any
MS-DOS computer be a box for a
full blown, state-of-the-art QL.

At this writing, the price of the
QLX card has not been released, but
speculation puts the price at $700
to $800.

OK, that's a lot of money for a QL
even with 8 Megs of memory, true

32 bit bus processor, and a host of

ve BR oe: ae anata’

Salt wae tale

ry

other features.
MS-DOS computer.

You still need the

In the Greater Boston area a
rebuilt 286 with a 40 meg drive and
VGA color monitor can be had for
about $400.

Thus the total outlay would be
$1100 to $1200 or about the price
for an entry level 25 Meg 486SX
clone with a Super VGA monitor and
some scuzzy software.

Another way of comparing price is
that the same money only gets you
three (3) decent application
programs for the MS-DOS computer.
In the meantime you get to keep all
your favorite QL software.

Expensive?

Yes, particularly for those who
started computing in the 80's with a
ZX-81 kit and the family's B+W TV.

On the otherhand, anyone leaving
the QL to MS-DOS land faces the
same bill, and no one says you have
to buy the QLX card if you are
happy with what you've got.

If not happy and planning to go
MS-DOS, it is the perfect transition
hardware and is so fast you may
not go any further.

WHAT'S
HAPPENING?

by Hugh H. Howie

At one time when I was in business,
I often did not speak out when I
should have, as there was always
someone ready to “get back” at me
in one form or another. Now I am
retired and enjoying life immensely,
I can speak out when I think I
perceive an injustice. That is a
great feeling.

Since receiving the January issue of
the NESQLUG newsletter, 1 would
like to ask what is going on?

I read on the first page that the
editor has nothing to put into the

NESQLUG NEWS -

newsletter. I also see empty spaces
which the editor has not been able

to fill because no one has sent
anything in.
The second page has some

information on the latest meeting of
the club.

The third (and last) page I will get
to later.

What is going on?

One of the purposes of a newsletter
is intended to be to supply the
members of the club with infor-
mation concerning the club, and also
what is going on in the sphere of
activities and interests of the club,
and to keep those who are unable
to attend the meetings because of
distance or other problems, up to
date with those developments and
activities within the club.

Is there NOTHING to report? Surely
someone somewhere has something to
say about something?

The January newsletter was an
absolute disgrace. Nothing except
to say there was nothing to report.

The most revealing statement was on
page 3, where it was published that
EMSoft was giving up business. The
statement says that "the decision to
terminate operations was not arrived
at impulsively but was hastened by
"mean and petty rumour mongering

n

without basis in fact'".

To my mind this was obviously an
allusion to a certain advertisement
appearing in the newsletter; an
advert I was always happy to see.
I may not buy anything because of
that advert, but at least I know
what is available. That is important
to me. When I decide I would like a
certain product I will at least know
what it costs and where to get it.
That is also important to me.

- May/June 1993

Here are some of the things I want
to read about in a newsletter:

What other people are doing.

What is going on pertaining to that
organisation.

What new things and products are
coming onto the market.

How much do those things cost?

How they are being received.

How good are they?

Are other people having the same
problems I am having?

What other people are doing ‘for
kicks'

What do I do about this?

Or the next?

That?

That is just a small sample of what
I want, and if I can't get it one
place I am going to try another and
still another, till I get some
semblance of my wants.

The fact that you are reading this
is almost proof that you are a
member of the club; that you want
to hear the experiences of others.
Don't you think that others want to
hear about YOUR experiences?

Have you NEVER needed help or
“assistance? Who did you turn to?
A club member?

Is that why you are a member? To
receive and not to GIVE?

I know from my own learning
processes that I relied heavily (and
I still do) on being able to ask a
fellow member for the benefit of his
expertise and experiences. Because
of that I feel that I should pass on
to other readers what 1I have
learned. So that -we all may
Progress to better things.

Another thing I like to read in
newsletters is what is new and
appealing for my machine. Without
that information without reading of
the value of a program to others
without the passage of information
how am I make that YOU how are
WE to find out what is going on in
our own little world?

Let it be
advertising

clearly understood that
serves two different

NESATUG NEW

aio

purposes. It tells YOU that someone
has something to sell. But take
another look at that statement it
also tells YOU that
SOMETHING IS AVAILABLE!!! Without
the knowledge that something is
AVAILABLE, would you want to
spend your money on it? I guess
not as you would not know it was
there unless some other person told
you. And just who might that be?
Why another person with the same
interests as your own in other
words a fellow member of your
club or group!!! Or heaven forbid
the purveyor!!!

Remember, your newsletter is a form
of advertisement for your CLUB or
ORGANISATION.

I appeal to all, make this newsletter
something we can all be proud of,
and if this means we have to work
together, is that such a bad thing?
Let us put pen to paper and write

something. The fact that things are
being said is indicative that
someone has something to say so
let's write/say something of

constructive nature for a change:
let's not whisper out the side of
our mouths petty little things that
damage other people in any way.

Finally, from experience I well know
the satisfaction of seeing something
I wrote being published, and
perhaps even being commented on
by the reader, that is the ultimate.

Hugh H. Howie.
P.S. If you have anything to say
about this or me, please be sure
and spel my name right.

MEETING MINUTES
by Eric Norton

On March 6, 1993, Al Boehm
demonstrated a program that shows
a spinning Jupiter.

1 demonstrated several programs
from disk IFE C002.

They were
Starburst, Cavern Frenzy, Runway
and Surround. Starburst and
Cavern Frenzy are maze games;

Surround is another maze game, but

May/June 1993

it needs a little more thought; and
Runway is a game where you use
bombs from your plane to destroy
little "blocks" blocking the runway.
If you succeed, you will go to the
next level. If you don't, you
blow-up!

Unfortunately, Sherm Waterman
wasn't there because he is
vacationing in Florida. Lucky guy!!!

Gary Norton demonstrated QL WAR
from ITC COO5, a war simulation
gawe for the QL.

from
running

I also demonstrated ISLA,
IFE £CO02, a game of
through a jungle trying to avoid
deadly hazards. The game features
excellent graphics.

In the business meeting, Al Boehm
suggested putting articles and
gates on disk/microdrive instead of
printed form. The idea is for the
receiver to return the disk with
additional articles and/or disks.
(The editor and Al would lke to
near how others feel about this
idea.)

Peter Hale suggested that we put all
of our efforts into publishing one
annual issue of the NESQLUG
newsletter. At the current rate we
receive only enough material for one
issue.

a

Lere was criticism of the editorial

== Prairie Digital, Inc.
$79 Eolea eA ieus PLOD inate bes
raramen: | ftwae, RS 252 PC Cable

Software & Manual

in the March/April issue where the
Editor's Notes said that we may be
getting just a postcard about what's
going on at NESQLUG. The group
consensus was that this was far too

restrictive a policy and that
newsletters would be open to
publishing any articles/programs

that were submitted.

Discussion revolved around a new
format, and Will Horton has offered
to take on the editorial chores
commencing with the July/August
issue.

PRAIRIE DIGITAL
by Peter Hale

Some years ago a firm called Prairie

Digital marketed a A/D I/O board
for the QL.
Such a board’ lets the computer

control electrically operated devices
and/or read data about the position
of electrically operated devices.

A demonstration of this boad was
given by Mike Mitchell at a meeting
several years ago. The QL
controlled a servo motor.

Recently, I saw an advert, copied
below, reporting that Prairie Digital
was still in business, making A/D
I/O boards for MS-DOS computers.

What is interesting is that the
prices are very competitive.

$189 RS-232 Data Acquisition,
8 Chamel-8 Bit Analog

Input, 2 Channel-8 Bit Analog Output,

8 Digital YO Lines, 2 Counters

e Measure ''> To 8 Analog Signals Such As
Tempera '*mnidity, Light Levels,

Pressure, © vels
+ 24 Lines Of Programmable LO +18 Bit Resobstion, +/-1C: 12 400,000. Control Re.a y», Lights, Motors, Heaters
-$ Chand 8 Bit A/D Convertor * Addremsable-Connect Up: 32 On + Input Switch Positions, Thermostass,
* 12 Bit Counter Single, Multidrop Serial Cable Liquid Levels
+ Phugs Into PC Bus + Switch Selectable Baod Rates + Great For Home Control, Industrial
Automation, Remote Data Logging And

846 Seventeenth Bt. Industrial '

MISULUG NEWS

Control (Via Modem Or Cable)
-le Du Sac, WI 53578 608-643-8599 FAX 608-643-6754

- 1993

IE me gh

A Sa in I en a cet Bi fe A FA AL a RR I SE a SR A A we Eee a nel

Svenska QL Gruppen SWEQL
Toftadsgatan 73

S-421 47 VASTRA FROLUNDA 1993-03-14
SWEDEN

NESQLUG

c/o

Peter Hale
PO Box 8763

BOSTON, Ma 02114-8763
USA

Dear fellow QL users,

The Swedish QL Group's annual general meeting has asked me, the
signer, to write this letter to you.

As a "new deal” in the swedish club, when. planning activities, we
try to arrange at least two yearly events (apart from the monthly
meetings at the Swedish QL Group in Gothenburg and at QLIN in
Linke pts).

Coe event ls Lo visit another QL-meeting somewhere in the northern/
western part of Europe, and the other one is to have a national
QL- meeting.

There are some problems when it comes to the international area.
Qur problems, when planning, can be described in this way:

t We use to get the information about activities far too
late! The information from our fellow QL organisations
reaches us seldom more than two-three weeks befcre the
event. Tn some cases even after the event already has
taken place.

4 As Sweden hes no landcontact with Germany, Holland,
Belgium or Greal Britain we must go by sea or air.
Tne companies that run ferrylines demand a booking at
least three woeks before departure (if special acco-
medations are asked for).

£ Our internal newsletter, QL Bladet, issues about 5 times a
year. To enable us to inform and invite our members, who
are gvattered all over Sweden, and to get an an:were back,
We peed some extra time, approx. 5-6 weeks.

Of sourse, there are many ways to get around these problems and we
would like to have Your help with the following:

NESQLUG NEWS ~6- May/June 1993

m SA ett re ESA: baigaa > PS me a a Mar ree tan

Could you - ask your undergroups to make a rough planning at
least six months ahead

- send invitations and all possible information to

the different international contacts, say twice a
year (mid April and October???)

This in order to give all subgroups a fair chance to:

* inform their members
x make all ferry- and airline reservations
x make otuer necessary plannings

With all respect
OL GRUPPEN

erson
Vandolensvigen 9
3-433 30 PARTILLE

Sweden

Hugh H. Howie

586 Oneida Dr
Burlington. Ont. L7T 3V3

(416) 634 4929

1993 Apr 12

I would like to express my thanks to New England Sinclair Users Group
for the lovely card and sentiments of sympathy expressed on the
recent passing of Jessie.

Her illness was so sudden, without warning, it is hard to believe it
has happened, but it has......

Jessie had many happy memories of the recent visitation of NESQLUG to
our home last year, and also of our trip to New Hampshire where we

had such a relaxing time. She did enjoy meeting all those wonderful
folks.

Tt is nice to know that in times like those I have friends of

sympathy in many places, and in particular in New England and in
NESQLUG.

Many thanks to all for your kind thoughts.

ere “a PE ges Atay A Tern TAN

MIRACLE IN NEWPORT '93

On June 5th, IQLR will be sponsoring an exciting QL symposium
in Newport, RI.

Place: Salvation Army Building
51 Memorial Blvd.
Newport, RI

Time: 1PM to 6PM

Several of our English QLers will be in attendance to demon-
strate new hardware and software. These will include Stuart

Honeyball (Miracle), Bill Richardson (W.N. Richardson Co. -

Formerly E.E.C.) and Tony Firshman (T.F. Services). There is
also a possibility that Freddy Vaccha and Dilwyn Jones might
be there, also.

Our own Bill Cable will be demonstrating his new QLerk pro-
gram which, we have been informed, has been completed after
many moons of development. Congratulations, Bill!

According to Bob Dyl, QLers will be coming from all over the
U.S. and Canada. Frank Davis and Paul Holmgren (Mechanical
Affinity & Update magazine) will be there as well as pecple
from C.A.T.S., Toronto Users Group and many independant QL
users from distant points.

Among many demonstrations, we will be seeing Falkenburg
hardware, Minerva, Hermes, I2C interface, spare QL parts, QXL
(Miracle's new PC card), all other Miracle products and who
knows what else?

Pre-registration cost is $3.00 sent to SeaCoast Services, 15
Kilburn Court, Newport, RI 02840. Registration at the door is
$5.00.

After the meeting, Bob Dyl has advised that anyone who wants
can come along to a local restaurant for a Dutch Treat supper

with the group.

For those that might want to stay over, here are three nearby
motels, all located in Middletown, a short distance away :

Royal Plaza Motel of Newport - 800/825-7072

Howard Johnson Motor Lodge - 401/849-2000

Econolodge - 800/537-7704
If you have any further questions, I would suggest you
contact Bob Dyl at SeaCoast Services (address above) or phone
him at 401/849-3805.

Looking forward to seeing you all there!

Sherm Waterman

NESQLUG NEWS -8- May/June 1993

Ea E Ni S a chs E = PS E STE yg, E E A a eS ee Ng ee ey EEEE E N E EA ge ge Wy ke

PIXIES *** PIXILATED *** PIXELS

One time I thought that a pixel was so-called because it flitted about the
screen like a pixie. You know what they are. They are like the characters
in IOLANTHE that flit and flutter through the trees, or the little green men
from Ireland that are very difficult to catch. What is it they call them?
Leprechauns? They are also very very charming. They can do such
wonderful things! Even more than a QL. Leprechauns even have a cache! I
have heard they have it stored at the end of the rainbow believe it or not.

Because of the above I thought that was why we computerists always seemed
to be pixilated. You kmow what I mean possessed, Dbedevilled, devilridden,
a little bit mad etc.. All those words I picked up from the thesaurus. I
thought that was the excuse. And that my wife would accept it.

But I have just found out that the word pixel came about because the
Picture on the screen is made up of PICTURE ELEMENTS, hence the word
PIXEL. Get it? PIC... EL....., or pic el, or pixel. Woe is me!!

How droll. (troll) And here I was all the time thinking I was just plain

nuts.
HHH 930126

NESQLUG NEWS cae May/June 1993

ee ere pia a et

Na”